Heffernan expected to be named Illini coach
The University of Illionis announced today it will name it's new wrestling coach this afternoon. Look for former Iowa standout Jim Heffernan, a long-time Mark Johnson assistant, to get the job.
Heffernan wouldn't comment Tuesday morning, but a source familiar with college wrestling said he will replace Johnson, a former Hawkeye assistant who retired last month.
Here is Heffernan's bio from www.fightingillini.com:
Jim Heffernan begins (just ended) his 17th season as Illinois' top assistant.
A 1986 NCAA 150-pound champion and four-time Big Ten Conference champion, Heffernan garnered the National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year honor in 2001 following the Illini's fifth-place national finish and second-place finish in the Big Ten.
Heffernan joined the Fighting Illini staff in May 1992 after serving as an assistant to head coach Mark Johnson at Oregon State for two years.
Heffernan's expertise as an assistant coach gained recognition in 1995 when he earned his first honor as Assistant Coach of the Year by the NWCA.
A 1987 graduate of the University of Iowa, Heffernan was a four-time All-American, while being a member of three Hawkeye NCAA and four Big Ten championship teams. Heffernan captained the Hawkeyes as a senior and grabbed Iowa's Male Athlete of the Year honor in 1987.
Heffernan began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Iowa before becoming an assistant coach at Lehigh University in 1988. He remained at Lehigh until moving to Oregon State in 1990.
He also coached the Cadet Wrestling Team at the world championships in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1992, and the USA World Espoir Team in 1989.
Heffernan graduated from national wrestling powerhouse St. Edward High School (Cleveland, Ohio), where he finished as a two-time high school state champion.
Heffernan and his wife, Rebecca, live in Champaign with their son, Sean, and daughter, Alex.